West Ham and Sporting Lisbon resolve Carvalho transfer muddle

Dec 6 (Reuters) - West Ham United and Sporting Lisbon have resolved their dispute surrounding the failed transfer of midfielder William Carvalho, the Premier League club said in a statement.

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan said his team had made a bid for the 25-year-old in the most recent transfer window but Sporting officials denied that the London outfit had been in contact regarding the Portuguese club's captain.

In September, British media outlets published leaked emails showing that West Ham had mailed Sporting multiple times.

"West Ham and Sporting Clube de Portugal acknowledge that a breakdown in communication... in respect of a possible transfer of William Carvalho was the cause of a misunderstanding." West Ham said on their website. (www.whufc.com)

"The clubs have had positive communications and the matter is now resolved. On this basis, friendly relations between the clubs will resume and there will be no barriers to both clubs negotiating or working together in the future."

West Ham are second from bottom in the league, three points adrift of safety after losing nine of their 15 games so far.